Next City disseminates nonprofit journalism on municipal best practices in social, economic, and environmental change. On June 28, the organization highlighted two Boston programs – the Greater Boston American Apprenticeship Initiative and Mayor Martin Walsh’s youth re-entry initiative, Operation Exit – as successful examples of
Operation Exit changed Devin Edwards’ life. The program, which helps court-involved young people enter sustainable careers, gave Devin the crucial second chance he needed. His mentors gave him unwavering encouragement. Devin did the rest. Looking back now, he is stunned by the distance
Returning to civilian life after six years in the army, Edward Morgan, 27, found himself adrift in his native Dorchester. “I did random jobs. I was a driver, a chef. They didn’t last too long. I found myself getting in
Lawrence Brown, 26, needed a hand. When the Boston Center for Youth and Families streetworker program (which works with at-risk youth to de-escalate street violence) met Lawrence, they found a determined young person who needed employment. They referred him to Operation Exit,
The most recent cohort of Operation Exit, a program that trains high-risk residents for new careers, graduated February 29 from an eight-week instructional program on computer coding. Resilient Coders, a local non-profit that teaches coding to young people from underserved communities, led